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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · lash · degree · bore · tube · dip · cold · arm

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tube — a container
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — not warm
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bore — to tire
  20. dip — to sink
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com